Vietnamese Film Receives Praise at Cannes Film Festival

At the Directors Fortnight section of the Cannes Film Festival on May 24, the Vietnamese movie "Ben Trong Vo Ken Vang", known as "Inside The Yellow Cocoon Shell" in English, was met with a five-minute standing ovation from the audience following its global premiere.

Administrator

1 June, 2023

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Along the way, Thien encounters a variety of characters, many of whom have their own stories to tell. Through their stories, he learns about the beauty and sorrow of life. As he makes his journey, Thien’s outlook on life and his relationships begin to change. Directed by Pham Thien An, the movie tells the story of a journey taken by a young man named Thien who is challenged with delivering his sister-in-law’s body to their countryside hometown after a devastating motorcycle accident. As he traverses the countryside, Thien meets a host of interesting characters, each with their own unique stories to share. Through these tales, he learns about the wonder and sorrow of life, and his outlook on life and relationships slowly begin to shift.

Amid the mystical landscapes of rural Vietnam, Thien embarks on a journey to search for his long-lost brother, who had gone missing years earlier. As he traverses through this unfamiliar terrain, he begins to uncover secrets about his brother’s past, as well as his own. Along the way, he discovers the strength of his own resilience and the power of hope in the face of adversity. Ultimately, he realizes that the only way to find his brother is to find himself.

The film was produced by Vietnam’s JK Film and Singapore’s Protocol in co-production with France’s Deuxième Ligne Films and Spain’s Fasten Films.

It took a total of four years to complete the movie, with three shootings taking place in 2020, 2021, and 2022.

The movie Vietnamese representative is competing for the prestigious Camera d’Or Award. This marks the first time a Vietnamese film has been presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is an honor and a great opportunity for the country to showcase its talent and creativity on the world stage.

Since then, his films have been screened in more than 20 countries around the world. His short film “Man in a Cage” was nominated for the Best Short Film at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and his feature film “The Portrait of a Lady” won the Grand Prix at the Busan International Film Festival in 2018.

Director Pham Thien An, born in Lam Dong province in 1989, has achieved a great deal of success in the filmmaking world. He won multiple awards, such as the 48 Hours Film Project in Ho Chi Minh City and the top prize at the CJ Short Film Making Project, one of the most esteemed short film contests in the nation. In 2015, An moved to the United States and began working as a freelance filmmaker. His films have since been showcased in over 20 countries across the globe. Notably, his short film “Man in a Cage” was nominated for the Best Short Film award at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, and his feature film “The Portrait of a Lady” took home the Grand Prix at the Busan International Film Festival in 2018.

His latest short film, Cam Lang, known as “The Mute” in English, was screened as a World Premiere at the Palm Springs International Shortfest in the US in 2018. It also competed at 15 international short film festivals, including Winterthur in Switzerland, Tampere in Finland, Encounters in the UK, and Aspen in the US.